2010
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Pavlack
East Slavic occupational surname associated with beekeeping or honey production.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 126 Americans carry the last name Pavlack. That puts it at #149,446 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,720,273 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Pavlack surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
126
1 in 2,720,273
Census rank
#149,446
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
110
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 110 bearers of the surname Pavlack in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 149446th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Pavlack, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Black (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Pavlack
The surname Pavlack is believed to have originated in Eastern Europe, most likely in the Czech Republic or Slovakia regions. Its roots can be traced back to the 16th century, deriving from the Slavic term "pavlak," which translates to "falcon" or "little falcon." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname or an occupational name for someone who worked with falcons or in falconry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Pavlack can be found in a Czech census record from the late 1500s, where it was spelled as "Pavlaczek." This variant spelling highlights the evolution of the name over time and its adaptation to different linguistic regions.
In the 17th century, the name Pavlack appeared in several church records and local archives in the town of Brno, located in the present-day Czech Republic. These records provide valuable insights into the lives and families of individuals bearing this surname during that era.
Notably, a prominent figure in Czech history named Jan Pavlack (1595-1673) served as a respected military commander and played a significant role in the Thirty Years' War. His exploits and contributions to the region's defense are well-documented in historical texts.
As the name spread across Eastern and Central Europe, variations in spelling emerged, such as Pavlak, Pawlack, and Pawlaczek. These variations often reflected regional linguistic influences and the adoption of the name by different cultural groups.
Another noteworthy individual with the surname Pavlack was Mikołaj Pavlack (1720-1785), a Polish scholar and philosopher who made significant contributions to the field of ethics and moral philosophy during the Age of Enlightenment.
In the 19th century, the name Pavlack gained recognition in the literary world with the works of the Hungarian-born writer and poet, Géza Pavlack (1834-1892), whose poetry celebrated the beauty and cultural richness of his homeland.
As families with the surname Pavlack immigrated to other parts of the world, the name continued to be carried on and adapted to different linguistic and cultural contexts. However, its roots remain firmly grounded in the rich historical tapestry of Eastern and Central Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Pavlack
Among Census respondents with the surname Pavlack, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Black (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Pavlack bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Pavlack surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 102
- Two or more races4.5% · 5
- Black or African American1.8% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Pavlack
Pavlack appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#149,446
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-4 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 4,226 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #149,446 | 110 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 4,226 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Pavlack surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #145,220 | #149,446 | -2.9% |
| Count | 114 | 110 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -8.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Pavlack bearers went from 114 to 110 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 4,226 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #149,446.
FAQ
Pavlack surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Pavlack?
Name Census estimates that about 126 living Americans carry the surname Pavlack. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,720,273 residents.
How common is Pavlack?
Pavlack ranks #149,446 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 110 people with the surname Pavlack. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (126), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Pavlack.
Has Pavlack become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Pavlack went from 114 recorded bearers to 110. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #149,446.
What does the Census say about the background of Pavlack?
Among Census respondents with the surname Pavlack, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Black (1.8%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Pavlack in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Pavlack appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Black (1.8%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Pavlack (2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Pavlack mean?
East Slavic occupational surname associated with beekeeping or honey production. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Pavlack (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Pavlack?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.